Tech issue left parents overcharged and children booked into GAA's sold-out Cúl Camps

A glitch has seen families overcharged and children offered spaces at sold-out Cúl Camps ahead of the busy summer period.

Organisers of the camps say those affected will be reimbursed "as quickly as possible".

Bookings for the 2026 Kellogg’s Cúl Camps programme opened this week across the country, but registration was suspended on Wednesday due to a widespread system error.

As a result of the error, a number of families and parents who registered during the initial bookings window were overcharged for a single transaction, with some children offered places at sold-out camps.

In a statement posted on the Cúl Camps bookings website, the organisation said that it will “re-open for registrations shortly”. Families often look to register early due to limited availability.

A spokesperson for Cork GAA said it is “currently working with any families who have contacted us directly, and reimbursements are being processed immediately in those cases”.

“Anyone affected should contact us directly for assistance, and we will continue to address any further queries as quickly as possible,” 

the spokesperson said.

The cost of registration for Cúl Camps stands at €82.50 for the first child, €75 for the second, and €65 for subsequent children, with discounts applied when booked together.

This means, prior to the application of discounts, that if one family registered three children earlier this week during the bookings window, they could have been charged upwards of €445 if the transaction went through twice.

In a message shared with club members by one Cúl Camp co-ordinator in Cork, registration for the 2026 programme was shut down due to “a major IT issue in Croke Park where multiple people were charged multiple times, and kids received places in camps that were already full”.

“The decision was taken by Cork GAA and Croke Park to pause admissions until the issues are resolved,” the co-ordinator said.

“As of now, there are no new dates or times for camp openings.”